Sandbagged
by OhBuddy66
Summary: Hetty forces Deeks' hand, urging him to stop holding back. Takes place after Reign Fall. Includes Sam and Callen...


**Sandbagged**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything having to do with NCIS Los Angeles or the movie Lethal Weapon.**

Kensi glanced over at her partner as they made their way to the parking lot. Now that the case was solved, they were going out for a celebratory meal with the team. Deeks stared straight ahead as they walked to their cars. Sensing that she was watching him, he turned to her and caught the questioning look in her eyes.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, Kens?" he asked cheerfully. "I know you have something to say…just say it."

She knew she was busted. Rather than making something up she knew he wouldn't believe anyway, she decided to go with the truth. "I just can't believe that in all the time we've known each other, you never told me you were buddies with Kip Brigham. I mean - that's seriously pretty cool, Deeks."

"Yeah? Well, it never crossed my mind it was something to brag about. Kip and I spent a lot of time together when we were younger. Sure, he's a big time basketball star now, but he's still just Kip to me." Deeks explained.

She smiled at him, "OK, _Marty Mar_…whatever you say." She emphasized Kip's nickname for her partner sarcastically. "He gave you credit for getting him into basketball. You bragged about beating him one on one consistently. So what happened?" Kensi asked incredulously.

Deeks looked at her, knowing what she was getting at, but he acted confused. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Deeks. I've seen you play basketball, remember? You're not…all _that." _She pointed out, reminding him that she had bested him on the court numerous times back at the gym. She looked at him again, quickly, when he didn't have a reply. He was staring at her, a smirk on his face. His eyes were lit up, the joy clear on his face. She had to look away from him then, hoping that he didn't catch the shiver that ran through her body. His look turned her to putty, and she couldn't help but think he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

"I'll meet you there, partner." he said as he slid into his Malibu. He started it and drove away before she could say anything else. She watched for a few moments. Hetty and Callen, as well as the wonder twins, appeared next to her.

"Where's Sam?" Kensi asked.

"He said he'd catch up to us. He seemed to have something on his mind." Callen explained. "How come you're not riding with Deeks?"

"Um...I'm not sure, actually." Kensi admitted, opening the door to her SUV. Callen, Hetty and the twins all hopped in their respective vehicles and drove to the restaurant.

The rest of the evening went well for the most part. The meal was delicious. Sam had called and said he would see everyone in the morning, he was going on home. Kensi continued to pick at Deeks regarding his skills at basketball, among other things - her competitive spirit just wouldn't allow her to drop it. Hetty defended him on more than one occasion, which completely baffled Kensi and Callen both, especially when it came to shooting. Eric and Nell, they stayed silent and just enjoyed the banter. Kensi argued that not only was she better at basketball, she could outshoot Deeks on the firing range. Deeks felt his hand was being forced by Hetty voicing her opinion that he was not to be underestimated. Callen mentioned a shooting contest. Deeks felt obligated to promise Kensi that if she would arrive at the mission earlier than usual in the morning, he would prove her wrong that she was a better shot.

"Oh, you're on, Shaggy!" she quipped, confident that she would once again show him up. She knew Deeks was a good shot, but she was always better.

Deeks excused himself, saying he needed to use the restroom. When he came out, he was surprised to see Hetty standing there. Deeks looked from her to the table his friends were at. He caught Kensi looking to see what was taking him so long. When she saw Deeks and their boss talking, she quickly looked away.. "Hetty, uh...what, what are you doing standing up for me like that?" he asked, genuine concern and a bit of anger in his voice.

"Mr. Deeks, don't you get tired of being picked on? You know full well that you let your teammates underestimate you. I, for one, am getting tired of it and its high time you should be, too." Hetty admonished him."I know you take great pains to keep this persona of yours up and that it serves you well on the job. I think it would be wise to show your true strengths to the rest of the team, though, don't you? It will only make the team stronger." she pointed out.

He blew out a breath, nodding slightly. "OK, Hetty, if you think so."

"I do, Mr. Deeks. Now, I want you to show Ms. Blye no mercy in the morning. No more sandbagging." she patted Deeks on the arm, a mischievous grin breaking out on her face as she turned to leave. "Riggs and Murtaugh, Mr. Deeks...Riggs and Murtaugh!" she called out over her shoulder. Deeks let out a genuine laugh at that. Leave it to Hetty to reference one of his favorite cop buddy movies. He returned to the table. Kensi kept glancing at him furtively. She was curious what Hetty had said to him. Everyone had finished eating and the last of their drinks were gone. It was time to call it a night. The team said their goodbyes and left. Kensi and Deeks were the last two to leave. Kensi persisted in antagonizing him as they walked to their cars. Finally, after thinking about what Hetty had said to him, he had had enough.

"Pretty confident you are going to beat me, aren't you, partner? Why is it so important for you to be better than me at everything?" Deeks asked, a serious tone to his voice.

Realizing she maybe had pushed too far, she replied, "What? No, Deeks...it's...it's not important. Why would you even say that?" she asked defensively, not wanting to concede that he was right.

He didn't reply right away. The quiet was unnerving and she really wished she would have kept her mouth shut. Of all people, Deeks was the last person she wanted to upset. Fearing that her teasing had crossed some unseen line, she glanced at Deeks. He refused to meet her look. In the glow of the street lights she could tell he was in deep thought. He sighed before turning to her. She swallowed hard, not liking the look in his eyes. It was a look of sadness, or maybe defeat - maybe a bit of both.

"Deeks? What did Hetty want? Is everything OK?" she prodded.

"I can't do this any more, Kensi. It's my fault I let it go this long. I'm sorry." he said softly.

At that moment, even though she had no idea what Deeks was talking about, she had never felt more scared in her life. What could he possibly have to be sorry about - and what couldn't he do anymore? Had she finally pushed him away with her constant one upping and belittling? He had to know she was joking - he HAD to - she thought. That was part of their thing. The banter, the bickering and teasing. She knew Deeks had skills. She thought again of Hetty talking to him. Had she said something to Deeks that had him backpedaling even further?

"I don't understand... Deeks, what is it?"

He smiled at her now, the full Deeks grin, his eyes full of glee. "Better get home and rest up, Fern. Tomorrow. You. Me. Firing range. Don't be late." He slid behind the wheel and with a final nod, drove away, leaving Kensi standing there dumbfounded.

* * *

><p>The next morning Deeks walked into the bullpen to find his partner, Sam, Callen and Hetty already there.<p>

"Morning, Sunshine! Sam, G, Hetty." he nodded at them. He sat his bag down on his desk. He noticed Kensi giving him her death glare. "What's the matter, Kensalina? Not looking forward to losing this morning?"

"Oh, ha ha, Deeks. That was a little dramatic last night, even for you, don't you think?" she asked, clearly not happy.

"Come on, Kens, I was just messing with ya!" Deeks defended himself.

"Not funny, Deeks." she replied.

Sam looked at him. "G tells me you two are shooting it out this morning, Deeks. You do realize she has beaten you every single time you've had a contest, right?"

Deeks looked at the big man, a smirk on his face.

"Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, shall we?" Hetty motioned towards the armory. Deeks was first to move, followed by Kensi. G and Sam looked at each other, then to Hetty, who had a slight grin on her face. "Gentlemen." she nodded. They headed off to catch up with Kensi and Deeks. Callen had mentioned to Sam how Hetty had defended Deeks the night before. Both felt that something was up and they couldn't wait to find out what it was.

Kensi and Deeks had their ear protection and safety glasses on. They each had a target hung and were running them back to an agreed distance. Hetty and the guys stepped in to watch.

"You ready, Deeks?" Kensi looked to her partner, a confident smirk on her face.

He nodded as he slid the magazine into his Beretta. Kensi grabbed her SIG off the counter in front of her, and with a final glance at Deeks, raised her gun and fired. She emptied the rounds into her silhouette target. When she was done, she sat her gun down and turned to Deeks. He smiled at her and she melted a little. Damn him, she thought. He looked at his target, adjusted his glasses, and then fired rapidly. She reached out and hit the button, bringing her target back so that she could show it off.

As her silhouette came into view she smiled, happy with the results she saw. "Read 'em and weep, Shaggy." she bragged unabashedly. All of her shots were center mass hits. The pattern was fairly tight, all the bullets centered within a six inch radius. She pulled the target down and replaced it as he brought his forward. He said nothing as he shoved his results into her hand. Kensi stared in awe at what her partner had done. His bullets all had hit center mass, too. The difference was that his were bunched into a circle the size of a baseball.

When Callen saw what Deeks had done, he looked at Sam, raising his eyebrows. Sam looked back, just as shocked.

"Damn Deeks, that's some nice shooting." Sam exclaimed.

Kensi kept looking at Deeks' target and back to him. Finally, shaking her head, she said, "Step back, Deeks. I'm just warming up." as she hung a fresh silhouette target. She ran it back. "Watch carefully." she called over her shoulder as she slammed a new magazine into her SIG and fired four shots. Smiling, she sat her gun down and brought the target back. "Hey, look at that! Not bad, eh, partner?" Kensi grinned. She had placed a nose and two eyes in the head, the fourth was her trademark shot to the groin.

Deeks adjusted his glasses as he stepped into Kensi's space. "OK, step aside...partner." he said calmly. He hummed nonchalantly as he ran her target back down range even further than she had it, glancing back to Kensi and the guys as he did it. Callen and Sam were enjoying this immensely, both snickering. Hetty stood there quietly and watched. Sliding a magazine home, he aimed carefully and began firing. When that one was empty he loaded another, once again firing calmly. Again he reloaded, throwing a glance back to his teammates before turning back to Kensi's target. He unloaded on the silhouette a final time. He set his manual safety and sat his weapon on the counter, all the while still humming. He hit the button, bringing the very dead target back into view of the team. As it stopped in front of him he observed his handiwork. Nodding his satisfaction, he stepped aside for them to see what he had done. As they looked at the target in stunned silence he smiled at Hetty. She gave a very slight nod of her head and a small grin appeared on her face.

"I'll just be up in ops." Deeks stated as he slipped out the door and disappeared.

Sam clapped Kensi on the back gently. "Wow, Kensi...who knew?"

Callen chuckled. "Only Deeks, Kens. Just be glad he's on our side."

"Holy shit, Deeks." Kensi mumbled to herself before turning to follow her teammates. The target now had a frown in place under the eyes and nose Kensi had made. Right over the heart the bullet holes formed I WIN in block letters.

Hetty was the last to leave. She reached up and unclipped the target, folding it gently. "Indeed, Mr. Deeks. Indeed."

_**THE END**_


End file.
